Out to Launch
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Love outweighs hate in the relationship between runners and running. Morning tongue? The iPhone does everything but wash my clothes. I get it. Let's launch!
  • Love outweighs hate in the relationship between runners and running. Morning tongue? The iPhone does everything but wash my clothes. I get it. Let's launch!

    Nike launched two additional TV spots promoting its Nike SPARQ training method, entitled "My Betterest" and "Men are Better." "Women are better" follows in the upcoming weeks. "My Betterest" is a series of clips from athletes young and old, famous and not-famous, who push themselves when training to excel in their sport of choice. "My quick and my fast had a baby and named him speedy," says one athlete. Watch the ad here. "Men are Better" focuses on male athletes' training sessions and their in-game moves. See the ad here.Wieden+Kennedy Portland created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    Major League Baseball launched four PSAs aimed at raising awareness of its youth baseball, community and charitable activities. The ads launched Sunday night on ESPN's opening night game and feature kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities interacting with MLB players Dan Haren, Prince Fielder, Jimmy Rollins and Dontrelle Willis. Haren gives a girl a pep talk in one ad, referencing the number of home runs he gave up last year: 26. Watch the ad here. When a young boy appears disappointed about striking out, Prince Fielder recalls the number of times he struck out in his rookie year. Click here to see the ad. Dontrelle Willis recalls being a member of RBI, an organization that helps kids in situations on and off the field. See the ad here. The final ad shows a group of kids congratulating one another following a game. Watch the ad here. McCann Erickson created the ads.

    Morning tongue is nothing to be embarrassed about, according to an ad promoting Burger King's cheesy tots. I did a double take when I first saw this ad on TV. Not surprisingly, the spot runs late at night on network and cable. Man wakes up in tented sheets, takes a shower and leaves the house, hiding his morning tongue under a scarf. Satisfaction comes once the man eats his cheesy tots. "Sporting morning tongue is perfectly natural. So go ahead, satisfy yourself," says the ad, seen here. Crispin Porter + Bogusky created the campaign.

    Running ads make my mouth water. Maybe I should get this checked out. New Balance launched a TV, print, outdoor and online campaign that accurately describes a runner's relationship with running and illustrates running as the heart of all sports. A 60-second spot vividly describes through words and actions the "complex, torrid affair" between runner and running. "Everything we do is geared towards tipping the balance. This is the new balance," says the voiceover as the word love towers over the word hate. See the ad here. A runner breaks up with running and sees running everywhere post-breakup. Click here to watch. The more an athlete gives, the more he gets from running in another ad, seen here. Do you run in the rain? I do. This final TV ad features a woman readying for her run, despite the weather. "Nothing spices up a relationship like a hot, sweaty make-up run," concludes the ad. Watch it here. Print and outdoor ads playing off the love/hate relationship take a simpler route, using copy such as "Meet me in the park at noon. Running." See the ads here, here, here, here and here. BBDO New York created the campaign and PHD New York handled the media buy.

    The next set of iPhone ads should tell me what it can't do, because apparently, it does everything -- except target its product to women. I'm still waiting. Having the Internet in my pocket will lead me to money, according to "Bet." Watch it here. IPhone wins me over with step-by-step map directions. Now men won't get lost and not ask for directions. See the ad here. Music is listened to and purchased on the iPhone in the final ad, seen here. And why is always 9:42? Not just in this campaign, but other iPhone ads. I checked. What's the symbolism there? TBWA/Media Arts Lab created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    What's the best way to motivate drivers to check their shocks after 50,000 miles? It can save a life. A squirrel's life. Monroe Shocks and Struts launched "Save the Squirrels," a radio, outdoor and online campaign that looks at drivers from a squirrel's point of view. The campaign revolves around "Acceptance," a humorous Webisode about a squirrel that's been accepted to "Acorn State." With acceptance letter in paw, the squirrel carelessly crosses the street as a car drives down the road. The outcome is delayed by an unnecessarily long tutorial on shocks. What about the squirrel and Acorn State? Luckily, the driver brakes in time for the squirrel to reach his parents across the street. Cramer-Krasselt created the campaign.

    Quebec-based floor manufacturer Tarkett Residential launched its largest North American campaign promoting the relaunch of its FiberFloor line of flooring. The b-to-b print campaign is bowing in April issues of Floor Focus, Floor Covering News, National Floor Trends and Floor CoveringWeekly. Four print spreads feature a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room or play room, on one side, with its floor tiled over using slippers, bibs, shin guards and rain coats. Slippers make the bathroom floor "warm, quiet and comfortable." On the right side, a Tarkett FiberFloor is shown along with the word, "Ditto." See the ads here, here, here and here. Marcus Thomas created the campaign and media buying was handled in-house.

    Newcastle Brown Ale launched an outdoor campaign this month that continues to use the "Smooth Like No Other" premise, where a normally sharp object or animal becomes smooth and straight upon encountering Newcastle. This time around, a blowfish, cactus and waitress with out-of-control hair are used. What's next: a porcupine or durian fruit? See the ads here, here and here, running in Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York City, Orange County, Sacramento and San Diego markets. Vitro created the campaign and handled the media buy.